


Gone with the Wind

by Sandentwins



Series: Knight of Fire Breath [5]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2018-01-01 17:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1046773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As she takes care of Famber and Lateal, Janyce tells them many stories. One in particular may reveal much more than her own adventures...and maybe even who Safire, the now-legendary dragon, really used to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gone with the Wind

When I first saw these two lost youngsters, after coming home from my daily walk, I knew that I couldn't leave them here. The snow was hard to handle, and they had fallen from exhaustion. I had taken them on my back and brought them here, to my quiet hive at Lotaf. I cared for them until they were better, and eventually left.  
But then, it was a pleasure to have someone to talk to, after long sweeps of solitude. They told me their story; the boy was from the south mountains and the girl from the sea. For a moment, it had reminded me of some old tales that I wanted to tell them. On those evenings, after dinner, they would sit next to me and listen, like the grandchildren I never had. One day, at Lateal's demand, I agreed to tell them a real story, as I was older than them and thus had seen more events. And there was one that I did want to share.

"It all began almost a century ago, on a fall day," I started.

They weren't making any noise except for a light breathing, looking at me like children who asked for a story before heading to nest. I breathed in, and continued.

"There wasn't any wind outside or any green leaves left on the trees. I was quite young at the time, a little younger than you. As all the Earth Children of my age, I was studying that day. Education is primordial for us, as it permits one to know the world around them and survive in the wild; for example, you live longer on your own if you can tell which fruits are poison and which are edible. It is the same with minerals and their different properties, or the tree essences and their uses, as you can't build a boat with the same wood with which you light a fire. Our race isn't the wisest dragon species for nothing.  
I was a brillant student at the time, obeying my elders and respecting nature. One of my classmates brought a pet Changeling one day, and we were learning about the abilities of these peculiar dragons. It was the end of the week, and as usual, one of us would talk about a specific topic we would be marked on. It was the first time I'd seen another kind of dragon for real, as we took the millenary rules very seriously. I remember the story, telling that centuries ago, the different races were living in harmony, before the trolls came to Alternia and forced us to struggle for survival. A great war between the three main races had started - and it is still running nowadays, in a more passive manner, each in their corner of the world. I was living in Gaierta, at the time; don't ask me to show it on a world map, this vast country has disappeared with time and conflicts, but is was situated far away, eastern of Alternia. Locah, my homeland, was a large valley crossed by many rivers and light air sources, which I recall was making us talk funnily all the time, he hee. The land was really wonderful during spring. There are thousands of little flying plants, and some days in a sweep, the bare rocks are covered with splendid vegetation. I didn't know at the time that I would have to leave it soon.  
After school, I would walk back to my hive alone, as I lived in the outer areas of the dragon community. It was a moment when I would mostly think about tomorrow morning, when I would see my friends again. But that day, it had been different. I was on my path back to my home cave, passing through the woods as usual, when I suddenly heard a strange noise. It was like a rock thrown in the branches of a tree...but it would have been a really large rock from what I'd felt that moment. I had some time left, so I thought that going to see what it was couldn't hurt. Curiosity is a bad flaw, but I couldn't help it. And that's how I met them.  
Between the flying plants, a young boy was laying down, most probably from a high fall, judging by his bruises. He was unconscious and bleeding slightly. This was one of the only times I'd seen a boy who was my age, as my classmates were all girls. It had been such a surprise for me, and I didn't know what to do; run and forget, call someone for help, or try to do something? I've never been in such a situation before, and because it would have been too long to go home and call an adult, I've decided to stay with him. Sometimes I wish I never did, sometimes I thank my elders that I did stay with that unknown boy coming from nowhere.  
Right now, he had been in need for some cure, and luckily I was an Earth Child - they are the best dragon doctors. I couldn't do much with my blue breath than close his cuts and erase some bruises, but he already seemed to get better. I couldn't leave him there, but he would have been too heavy to carry, so I have stayed with him until he woke up. Night had already fallen then, and I was afraid of being grounded for coming late, but there was someone who needed help. When he had suddenly opened his eyes, I have gasped so loud that some birds have taken off. I remember his eyes...they were emerald green, enigmatic and full of hope. He had laid them on me, and I returned his glance. We didn't move, staring at each other in silence for minutes, before he tried to get up despite the apparent pain in his leg. I feared that he had broken his bone or something, so I told him to stay still while I was checking for any other damage. He wasn't wearing anything else than raggy-looking shorts and a vest ripped from everywhere. When I have first touched his leg, I have shivered, but not because of the cold night. It was the first time I was meeting a male teenager alone, having barely talked to him, without even knowing his name, and here I was, touching him. He had whimpered from pain, thus confirming my fear. 'Stop that', he whined, telling I was hurting him. I drew my hand back, and he asked me who I was and where we were. 'Janyce', I have answered, 'and we're in the Locah seedpod forest.' That didn't seem to remind him of anything. He mumbled something about going home, and when I asked him about what he was doing there, he answered that he had hit one of the plants while flying to Lomax. On the spot, I had been stunned; flying? And that's when he had showed me the pair of wings in his back. I felt my thinkpan stop working; not only he was a male, but also a Sky Rider! You imagine my surprise, as some hours ago I had never seen any other dragon species except for a little Changeling.  
Slowly, I reached out to one of his wings, flabbergasted by the thousands of jade-colored feathers. He let me do with a smile, as it wasn't disturbing him. He then tried to stand up once more, but only did with my help and a crutch made of a dead branch. I advised him to rest before walking normally, as his leg seemed to be broken. He said, 'but I don't have anywhere to go for the night.'. I don't know why, but I proposed he go to my cave for tonight. He shrugged and said 'why not'. In our traditions, girls weren't supposed to talk to boys until they're adults, meeting them very seldom in some occasions, and especially never alone in the middle of the forest after nightfall. And of course, inviting a male to a girl's hive was unacceptable, but here I hadn't much choice. I couldn't let him strive alone, at least not now. It was like an injured animal you want to keep until he's healed, and with his rags and wild look, that Sky Rider was just like a lost featherbeast (and he even had the feathers).  
Once arrived to my cave, where I was living with my father, I told him to wait outside and hide while I would be severely grounded, as coming to my hive late was a bad behavior. But instead, Forade-masan just had told me to 'stop daydreaming when walking' and sent me to my room with a piece of fruit cake as I had missed dinner. A few minutes later, as he was busy with his fatherly activities, I sneaked out of the cave to look for my skyling guest, and what a surprise to find out he had already made a little nest in a nearby tree, hidden by leaves. I smiled to him, and he smiled back. I profited of the moment to ask him his name; Jakrys. He said that he didn't mind sleeping outside, as he was used to it, and he thanked me for helping him. I brought him a blanket for the night, as it was quite cold already, and offered him my cake. I wasn't really hungry, but seeing how he ate it in some seconds, he was starving. All night long I wondered what he was doing there, flying freely above Earth Children's territory. Maybe he was coming from the far mountains, as Sky Riders live in high places.  
The next morning, he was already gone. It was as if he never had been there, as there weren't any traces of his presence. As if he didn't exist at all, and I wondered if he was a ghost or a product of my imagination. But the feathers under my hand were real, I could have sworn it. I thought about Jakrys quite often after that. You could imagine; I, a simple Earth Child raised in a society that wouldn't allow such things, suddenly meeting a Sky Rider and talking to him without any adult around. There were some girls that have met in secret with their close friends, and they had all been convicted for that. At the time, I was reassuring myself saying that Jakrys wasn't my swain - was he even real?  
The answer came to me two days after. He was waiting for me in the seedpod forest where we met, his leg already healed. I was quite surprised to see him there, coming out of the plants in a flash and hugging me from behind. In that moment, I thought I was going to die, and severely reprimanded him for that. All he did was laugh at how gullible I was, but he didn't mind me calling him a jerk. Instead, all he did was lightly brush his wing against my arm, as if to tease me. I asked him what he was doing here, and he just said he wanted to see me. He even brought me a gift; a dead hopbeast. I was shocked he would offer such things to a young girl, and especially a Child, as we weren't allowed to eat any meat. He asked jokingly if I was asking to trees if I could pick their fruits, but I didn't answer as it was too close to the truth. I had some time left before going hive, so we decided to talk together.  
Jakrys was from the Lomax mounds, but hadn't any home. His caretaker had been killed during a conflict between the dragon races and his hive destroyed, so he was a vagabond, living on what he hunts and steals. He often fought with other dragons for just a place to sleep, hiding among humans to freely pick from their crops, and-"

"-What's a human?" Lateal suddenly asked, reminding me of her presence.

"-Oh, these… Imagine a troll without horns and only one blood color, not as savage as them but even more destructive. They were Gaiertan autochtones long ago, but now they almost have disappeared. I think they're extinct today, victims of their own wars. The Emperess, with the help of her dragon Condensia, has personally 'taken care' of them.  
So, when he told me his story, I was saddened by knowing that dragons can have a miserable life like he did. I took pity of him, and each time we would meet again, I would bring him some food or clothes for the winter. In return, he told me about the world around my home land, and especially about the vast land of Alternia, which at the time was called Beforus. It was one of the few places the Emperess hadn't conquered yet, even though she did some sweeps later. He liked to say he would take me there someday, when I was an adult and free to have my own life. You could understand my reaction, as I was afraid but didn't know what else I could do with my life.  
And then, sweeps passed. Jakrys and I kept seeing in secret in the forest, fearing each time that we could be spotted. We have been behaving friendly towards each other...until the day Forade-masan died. It was awful for me, as he was my only parent still alive. My Sky Rider companion was there for me, and helped me a lot with it. When I first told him this sad news, he hugged me and placed some kisses on my neck, saying he was here for me. That day, we kissed for the first time, and it was a rather nice. For one second, I had almost forgotten my father's death. From then on, Jakrys took care of me by staying in my cave and helping me when I would need it. It lasted one sweep before I could finally be recognized as an adult, and be free to leave Locah. And that day, he was with me as well.  
That evening, the day before our departure, he had proposed to me by cutting our palms, and I answered to him by pressing them together, as at the time it was the gesture's first meaning; create a blood bond, stronger than anything. I noticed the same ones on your hands, and it reminded me of this night under the stars. I was too shy to physically unite with him, but he said it could wait until we had our own life.  
Our travel was quite long, but full of new discoveries; each day I learning something new about the nature and the life outside of my homeland's walls. We decided to settle in Beforus, and built a quiet house at Lotaf, the one where we currently are. He had taught me everything about love, the unique link that binds two souls together, and the many ways to express it, including the one we had been waiting for since our departure, and he had proven he was quite good at that. Of course, our relation had to stay secret, but where we were we wouldn't be disturbed by trolls or other dragons...except for two of them. Two young, innocent dragons, born of a Sky Rider and an Earth Child. Two babies, each of them born by us both. We were looking forward to the day of their hatching, with an impatience growing even more each day.  
That's when the Great War had started.  
A terrible conflict between the cities of Derse and Prospit, for the possession of the Skaia lake which was a strategic place for commerce with other cities, further in the north. But soon, other reasons added to that, and the two towns were constantly trying to conquer each other. The Lotaf plains were a perfect battlefield, and soon my and Jakrys' lives were threatened. They were in need of dragons and we had to escape with our eggs.  
We had tried to head to the east, where we would be safe, but they soon had found us. There were two possible paths ahead; we had to escape separately, and it was heart-breaking. I had begged him not to make me, and he promised he would come back some time after, hiding with his child for the time being. At the last second, we traded our eggs, as we would each have the one that the other had laid. The trolls were coming closer. Jakrys absconded to the south, and I to the north, to the woods. After long hours, I had stopped, my baby in my arms, and cried for who knows how long. All I know is, by the time I had calmed down, little one was already starting to hatch. I watched my child as he found his way out of the shell, amazed by how much he was looked like Jakrys. His screams would gather everyone around, so I tried to calm him down, but it was useless. A troll jumped out of the trees, making me jump with fear. It was over. But to my great relief, she turned into a dragon.  
The purple Sky Rider asked me what I was doing there, alone, with a tone of defiance. I had been told not to trust unknown people, but the second she saw my child, she apologized and offered me to come at her place, where it would be safer, as trolls were everywhere. Now that I remember, she was young but very strange, as she had pale blonde hair on her troll appearance. I think she said it was due to-"

"-Hey, I think I know her, it's my grandmother!", Famber exclaimed all of a sudden. "What was she doing there?"

"-I never knew exactly. All I knew is that according to her, I hadn't the right to keep the child of a Sky Rider. Her own grandparents were an Earth-Sky couple, and her mother had suffered their impossible relationship, growing up in a hatred of crossbred children that carried on her own daughter, the one who advised me to give up raising Jakrys' children. What if they grew wings and I couldn't join them? They could fly to escape if needed, and I wouldn't be able to join them, as Jakrys couldn't always be able to carry me on his back. I told her I had promised, but she said it was for the better. I decided to wait before making any decision.  
Perigees passed by. My little boy loved to play with the pincerbeasts living near the lake, as nature was his friend. He sometimes tried to speak their language to no avail, but it was cute. I tried to protect him, still waiting for Jakrys, but he never came back. I hadn't any news of him or his green-shelled egg. But as I carried my child day after day, I noticed how light he was, and the little embers he would sometimes sneeze. A Sky Rider, and I was an Earth Child. I have talked to other people, tried to find my husband, to no avail. All I know is that a green Sky Rider holding an egg had been seen not too far off, but caught by the trolls. My only hope was lost.  
My child was a burden to me, as we would move from place to place in bad conditions, often tired and starving. Children were difficult to care for, and I came to think I wasn't made to be a mother. But I would never give up, as Jakrys would have wanted me to carry on. One night, I left my baby sleep under the branches of a tree, to look for some food around. Eating meat was something I was forced to do in order to survive, and it was awful. I tried to hunt some squirrels, when I found a nearby farm. I remember seeing a couple and their two sons, a pincerbeast and delicious vegetables in the garden. One pumpkin would be welcome. I waited until they went away, then sneaked closer to the crops, and attempted to pick the smallest vegetable. Stealing was bad, but my baby and I were starving, and this farm seemed to have plenty of food, so just a little wouldn't hurt much. It was dark, and I only had my teeth to cut the thick plant, before absconding with my loot...only to be spotted by the youngest troll.  
I took my dragon form as a reflex. He wasn't more than five sweeps old, and seemed amazed to see me. I remember the nubby-horned troll attempting to touch me. But my baby was waiting for me, probably awake now. I tried to run away, switching forms, and that's when I heard gunshots. A battle between soldiers of opposite camps has started just in front of me. The parents got out of the house. I remember the scene; the soldiers shouting, the dragon trying to steal a pumpkin, the older boy dragging his brother inside, the mother screaming, the father grabbing a rifle. No one seemed to care about the civilian that just got hit in the chest. I tried to run away, but a barrage of bullets stopped me. Behind me, the pained whimpers of the hooded man were insufferable. I could hear my child calling, but couldn't join him. I was stuck. And when I think about it, a little service could pay some food.  
Kneeling next to the man, ignoring his wife's 'go away', I tried to close his wound with my blue breath. I was tired, and couldn't do much than ease some of his pain. He seemed to go somewhat better, but needed real help. The other trolls looked at me as I was doing everything possible to cure the hole in his shoulder. The fight had stopped, Propsit's soldiers had run away, no one seeming to have noticed the trolls right next to them. I was exhausted, but had managed to reduce the bullet wound to a deep but simple gash. I felt the little boy's hand on mine, and when I turned to him, he was handing me the pumpkin he had seen me steal. I took it and fled to the woods, where I would find my child... only to realize that he had disappeared.  
I searched for him until I dropped in exhaustion. My baby, my little boy, all that was left from Jakrys, gone with the wind. I couldn’t move, feeling broken from the inside. When I finally decided to leave the woods, I saw that where the farm was a few days ago was now a burning ruin.  
That was all the trolls could do in pure cruelty. All I wanted was to leave this world, but something forced me to stay.  
I returned to my home on Lotaf, my baby probably dead, my husband and daughter caught, and my own life broken. Time has gone by, and there isn’t a day when I wouldn't cry thinking about my family; my father, Jakrys, and our two children...who still hadn't any name."

I sighed, my story being over, and realized that Famber and Lateal were crying, calling my story 'so sad'.  
When they left, when Famber asked me my son's scale color, telling me he could still be alive, I was stunned. Days after, I still hadn't understood what he meant, but the connection I felt with this boy wasn't a coincidence. I thought more about my baby, about the adult he could have become, about the name I could have given him.  
Sometimes, I think that Johnen would have been a good choice.  
As I was listening to the pulse of the Mother Earth, seeking advice, I began to understand piece by piece. At the moment Famber had asked me this question, I had, indeed, already met my son's descendant. My descendant.  
And I hope my and Jakrys' lineage doesn't cease to live.


End file.
